Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,029 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Nis, Serbia
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nis
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,029
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nis and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nis and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,029 per month in Nis vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nis $1,029
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,526 per month in Nis vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nis $1,526
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,022 per month in Nis vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nis $2,022
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Nis is about 15% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nis and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nis 24% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 RSD 912
$10.92 MX$205
-20.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.20 RSD 3,477
$43.37 MX$814
-23.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.73 RSD 1,019
$11.78 MX$221
-17.40%
Cappuccino
$1.93 RSD 202
$3.81 MX$71.5
-49.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 RSD 239
$1.28 MX$24.07
78.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 RSD 189
$0.78 MX$14.70
130.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 RSD 389
$3.17 MX$59.5
17.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 RSD 456
$4.93 MX$92.7
-11.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.08 RSD 114
$1.41 MX$26.40
-23.40%
White Bread (500g)
$0.72 RSD 75.7
$2.22 MX$41.62
-67.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 RSD 176
$1.42 MX$26.61
18.31%
Eggs
$2.32 RSD 243
$2.52 MX$47.36
-7.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.41 RSD 776
$7.26 MX$136
2.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.77 RSD 604
$7.70 MX$144
-25.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.97 RSD 1,149
$12.69 MX$238
-13.55%
Apples (1kg)
$1.08 RSD 114
$2.78 MX$52.3
-61.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 RSD 178
$1.37 MX$25.68
24.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.42 RSD 149
$2.55 MX$47.89
-44.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.07 RSD 216
$2.12 MX$39.86
-2.36%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 RSD 82.6
$1.94 MX$36.39
-59.28%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 RSD 77.1
$1.89 MX$35.41
-60.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.64 RSD 67.5
$1.15 MX$21.53
-44.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 RSD 59.9
$1.18 MX$22.13
-51.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.46 RSD 467
$4.30 MX$80.6
3.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.58 RSD 585
$9.95 MX$187
-43.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 RSD 71.8
$1.58 MX$29.73
-56.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 RSD 142
$2.67 MX$50.1
-49.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$10.39
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$500
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.86 RSD 194
$4.97 MX$93.3
-62.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 RSD 71.9
$3.33 MX$62.5
-79.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.28 RSD 867
$5.36 MX$101
54.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 RSD 195
$1.44 MX$27.11
29.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K RSD 3.2M
$20.7K MX$388.0K
47.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K RSD 2.4M
$23.5K MX$440.5K
-1.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 RSD 16.4K
$84.8 MX$1,592
84.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.16 RSD 2,007
$23.41 MX$439
-18.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.67 RSD 2,375
$28.66 MX$538
-20.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.61 RSD 3,102
$57.1 MX$1,071
-48.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.29 RSD 1,602
$28.91 MX$543
-47.11%
Cinema Ticket
$4.62 RSD 484
$5.14 MX$96.5
-10.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$247 RSD 25.9K
$207 MX$3,878
19.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,809 RSD 503.7K
$3,927 MX$73.7K
22.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.5 RSD 9,061
$43.35 MX$814
99.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.99 RSD 4,189
$41.44 MX$778
-3.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 RSD 10.5K
$74.2 MX$1,393
34.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 RSD 11.4K
$89.3 MX$1,676
22.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$418 RSD 43.8K
$980 MX$18.4K
-57.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$290 RSD 30.4K
$381 MX$7,150
-23.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$626 RSD 65.6K
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-63.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$450 RSD 47.1K
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-58.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,650 RSD 277.6K
$3,943 MX$74.0K
-32.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,862 RSD 195.1K
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-69.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$922 RSD 96.6K
$735 MX$13.8K
25.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.11
11.45
-55.37%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nis: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nis
$290
Playa del Carmen
$381 31.3% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nis
$198
Playa del Carmen
$137 31% $61
Groceries & Markets
Nis
$180
Playa del Carmen
$255 41.3% $74
Eating Out
Nis
$166
Playa del Carmen
$202 22.2% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Nis
$151
Playa del Carmen
$112 26.1% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Nis
$39
Playa del Carmen
$67 73.3% $28
Getting Around
Nis
$5.3 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 854% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Nis versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in Nis, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Nis versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $255 – making Nis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇸 Nis
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
06:39 6:39 AM
00:39 12:39 AM
6 h behind Nis
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
78,470
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nis Playa del Carmen 9,880 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nis
  • Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Nis vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nis or Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen costs about 17% more than Nis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Nis and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,544 per month in Nis and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Nis or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How much does it cost to live in Nis compared to Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,029 in Nis and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Nis about 15% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Nis and in Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Nis and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Nis or in Playa del Carmen?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,029 in Nis and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Nis or Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,029 in Nis to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Nis vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?